Late Magic Wins Series for the Phillies

The Phillies came into Sunday afternoon’s tilt with the Reds looking to not only win the three game series, but to score. They were shutout yesterday and lost badly to Cincinnati 10-0. It would be no easy task today as they faced Reds’ starter Homer Bailey, who pitched eight shutout innings against them in a series earlier this year.

Jonathan Pettibone got the call for the Phillies, and as usual he pitched well and gave his offense a chance to win. He made just one mistake all day, a solo homerun to Jay Bruce in the second inning. He allowed another run sixth that would be unearned.

With one out and Joey Votto on first base, Domonic Brown made a nice sliding catch in foul territory. However, Brown then threw to first in an attempt to double up Votto. His throw short hopped Michael Young who played first base today, and allowed Votto to advance to second. His head was in the right place, but with Votto already retreating and two outs, it was an unnecessary throw.

With Votto now in scoring position, Todd Frazier laced a double over the head of Laynce Nix in right center field, and the Reds led 2-0.

Pettibone turned in his longest start of the season at seven innings pitched. He surrendered seven hits and did walk three, but allowed just one earned run. The youngster has been all the Phils could hope for this season, his earned run average sitting at 3.00.

His counterpart on this day, Homer Bailey, extended his scoreless streak against the Phillies to 15 consecutive innings, allowing just five hits and a walk in seven shutout innings.

Combined with yesterday’s loss, the Phillies had been shut out for 16 straight innings coming into today. That streak would end in the bottom of the eighth inning. Reds’ setup man Jonathan Broxton would come in to pitch the eighth, a former closer whom the Phillies have had success against in recent years late in games.

After a two out single from Ben Revere and a walk to Young, Chase Utley roped a single to left field to bring Revere home and cut the lead to 2-1. Brown came up next with two men on and two outs, thinking home run. He swung at the first pitch he saw and it landed just shy of the warning track for out number three.

After a scoreless top of the ninth from Antonio Bastardo, Delmon Young pinch hit for Laynce Nix to start the bottom half against Reds’ flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. He walked on four pitches. Cliff Lee came in to pinch run, and Erik Kratz would hit next.

With the count 2-2 on Kratz, Lee got caught wandering off first and was picked off. With the count full, Kratz crushed a low fastball way out to left field to tie the game at 2-2. Great as it was, it would have ended the game had Lee not been picked off first.

Lucky for him, Freddy Galvis came up next and all did was hit a line drive down the left field line that just cleared the fence for a game winning homerun. Kratz & Galvis went back to back to tie and win the game, incredibly against Chapman who regularly hits 100 on the radar gun.

No one in the park was happier than Cliff Lee.

The Phillies won the series against the Reds, and as much as we’ve talked about confidence builders, they don’t get any bigger than this one.

Carlos Ruiz came up lame running from first to third base and would leave the game. He has a right hamstring strain and could be headed to the disabled list. Right hander Tyler Cloyd will be recalled and start Tuesday’s game against the Marlins.